180 
THE JAGUAR. 
of capybaras (a species of gnawing ani¬ 
mal about as large as a pig) and peccaries 
(an animal closely allied to the hog, but 
larger) furnish it food in the uninhabited 
districts. It is said that the jaguar has 
sometimes been suffocated in a crowd of 
these animals, and that he is rather shy of 
falling in with them, sometimes climbing a 
tree to get out of their way. He is, however, 
very apt to avenge himself upon the last 
ones of the herd for the inconvenience the 
others have caused him.’ 
“ The jaguar is considerably dreaded both 
by Indians and whites, who do not willingly 
venture where he is known to haunt. He 
does not, however, seem very much inclined 
to attack man; and the Indians aver that if 
there be -a dog in the company he will take 
it in preference. Still, he is at times very 
dangerous. A story is told of a very large 
jaguar which entered a church in Santa Fe 
and killed two priests, one after the other, as 
they came in. A third priest, who came to 
see what the matter was, narrowly escaped 
with his life; and the animal was then shot 
from one corner of the church unroofed for 
the purpose. Humboldt tells of an adven- 
